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GERMS, Volume 7, Issue 2 (06 2017) – 6 articles , Pages 60-100

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Communication
Simplified Protocol of Gel-Based Multiple Locus Variable Number of Tandem Repeats Analysis (MLVA) for Staphylococcus aureus Typing
by Hui-min Neoh, Choi-Ying Yieng, Raja Mohd Fadhil B Raja Abd Rahman, Salasawati Hussin and Rahman Jamal
GERMS 2017, 7(2), 98-100; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2017.1114 - 1 Jun 2017
Cited by 1
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is commonly isolated in hospital wards and easily transmitted via human-to-human contact [...] Full article
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Article
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Imipenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Prevalence in Iran
by Hamid Vaez, Amin Salehi-Abargouei and Farzad Khademi
GERMS 2017, 7(2), 86-97; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2017.1113 - 1 Jun 2017
Cited by 22
Abstract
Introduction: Imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IRPA), due to resistance to different classes of antibiotics and its remarkable capacity to survive in harsh and adverse conditions such as those in the hospital environment, is considered a serious threat to the healthcare system. Given the great [...] Read more.
Introduction: Imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IRPA), due to resistance to different classes of antibiotics and its remarkable capacity to survive in harsh and adverse conditions such as those in the hospital environment, is considered a serious threat to the healthcare system. Given the great impact of IRPA on patients’ outcome and in order to possibly improve antibiotic prescription, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of clinical isolates of IRPA in different parts of Iran. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus, as well as in two Iranian domestic search engines, i.e., Iranian Scientific Information Database and Magiran. Finally, after applying exclusion and inclusion criteria 37 articles with full-texts describing the prevalence of imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa were selected for meta-analysis and systematic review. Results: The pooled estimation of 5227 P. aeruginosa isolates in this analysis showed that the percentage of imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa is about 54% in the Iranian population (95%CI: 0.47–0.62, logit event rate = 0.19, 95%CI: −0.12,0.49). Conclusion: The findings of this analysis show that in the majority of Iranian hospitals the relative frequency of IRPA is high, therefore, in order to prevent further dissemination of IRPA, more appropriate antibiotic prescription and infection control policies must be implemented by decision-makers. Full article
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Article
Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance Among Young Children with Invasive Pneumococcal Disease: Experience from a Tertiary Care Center in South India
by Savitha Nagaraj, Bhuvanesh Sukhlal Kalal, Anand Manoharan and Anita Shet
GERMS 2017, 7(2), 78-85; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2017.1112 - 1 Jun 2017
Cited by 16
Abstract
Introduction: We performed a study to describe the clinical profile, antimicrobial susceptibility and prevalent serotypes of pneumococcal isolates from children with suspected invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) admitted to a tertiary care hospital in South India. Methods: Hospitalized children, ≤5 years with fever (>38 [...] Read more.
Introduction: We performed a study to describe the clinical profile, antimicrobial susceptibility and prevalent serotypes of pneumococcal isolates from children with suspected invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) admitted to a tertiary care hospital in South India. Methods: Hospitalized children, ≤5 years with fever (>38 °C); increased respiratory rate or neurological symptoms were recruited, (as part of the Alliance for Surveillance of Invasive Pneumococci – ASIP – project) from January 2011 to March 2013. Identification of pneumococcal isolates from blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples was done by routine culture methods. Isolates were analysed for antimicrobial susceptibility, and confirmed by serotyping (using Quellung’s test) and multiplex PCR. Results: Out of the 171 samples received in the lab, 17 grew pneumococci identified by standard methods. Fourteen of them were confirmed by multiplex PCR. Maximum recruitment was observed during the months of January and February (36.4%, 28.6%). The average age of affected subjects was 21 months. The common clinical presentation was pneumonia (42.8%). Two isolates belonging to the 19F and 19B serotypes were resistant to penicillin (on Etest). The observed serotype distribution was 6B and 19F (2 each), and 1, 2, 6A, 9V, 10A, 14, 15A, 19B, 21, 35F (1 each). The overall fatality rate was 14.3% (n = 2); the S. pneumoniae isolates from these two patients belonged to the non-vaccine serotype 19B and serotype 19F and demonstrated in vitro resistance to penicillin and erythromycin. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the presence of serotypes not covered by available vaccines in a pediatric cohort. Emergence of drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae may by associated with severe clinical outcomes. Full article
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Article
High Level Bacterial Contamination of Secondary School Students’ Mobile Phones
by Siiri Kõljalg, Rando Mändar, Tiina Sõber, Tiiu Rööp and Reet Mändar
GERMS 2017, 7(2), 73-77; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2017.1111 - 1 Jun 2017
Cited by 12
Abstract
Introduction: While contamination of mobile phones in the hospital has been found to be common in several studies, little information about bacterial abundance on phones used in the community is available. Our aim was to quantitatively determine the bacterial contamination of secondary school [...] Read more.
Introduction: While contamination of mobile phones in the hospital has been found to be common in several studies, little information about bacterial abundance on phones used in the community is available. Our aim was to quantitatively determine the bacterial contamination of secondary school students’ mobile phones. Methods: Altogether 27 mobile phones were studied. The contact plate method and microbial identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer were used for culture studies. Quantitative PCR reaction for detection of universal 16S rRNA, Enterococcus faecalis 16S rRNA and Escherichia coli allantoin permease were performed, and the presence of tetracycline (tetA, tetB, tetM), erythromycin (ermB) and sulphonamide (sul1) resistance genes was assessed. Results: We found a high median bacterial count on secondary school students’ mobile phones (10.5 CFU/cm2) and a median of 17,032 bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies per phone. Potentially pathogenic microbes (Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus cereus and Neisseria flavescens) were found among dominant microbes more often on phones with higher percentage of E. faecalis in total bacterial 16S rRNA. No differences in contamination level or dominating bacterial species between phone owner’s gender and between phones types (touch screen/keypad) were found. No antibiotic resistance genes were detected on mobile phone surfaces. Conclusion: Quantitative study methods revealed high level bacterial contamination of secondary school students’ mobile phones. Full article
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Article
Enterococcus spp. and S. aureus Colonization in NEUTROPENIC Febrile Children with Cancer
by Julia R. Spinardi, Rodrigo Berea, Patricia A. Orioli, Marina M. Gabriele, Alessandra Navarini, Marina T. Marques, Milton N. Neto and Marcelo J. Mimica
GERMS 2017, 7(2), 61-72; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2017.1110 - 1 Jun 2017
Cited by 10
Abstract
Introduction: Febrile neutropenia is one of the most serious treatment-related complications in cancer patients. Susceptible to rapidly progressing infections, which result in prolonged hospitalization and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, neutropenic patients are subject to colonization by multiresistant agents, which enhances the risk of [...] Read more.
Introduction: Febrile neutropenia is one of the most serious treatment-related complications in cancer patients. Susceptible to rapidly progressing infections, which result in prolonged hospitalization and use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, neutropenic patients are subject to colonization by multiresistant agents, which enhances the risk of infections. Methods: In this study we included samples collected with nasal, oropharyngeal and anal swabs from hospitalized children with febrile neutropenia following chemotherapy, between March 2014 and 2015, aiming to elucidate colonization by S. aureus and Enterococcus spp., as well as their resistance profile. Results: S. aureus was found in 22% of the patients and 14% of the events. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonized 13.6% of patients. Including anal swabs in the screening increased the identification of colonized patients by 20%. Enterococcus spp. was found in 27% of patients and 17% of episodes. Enterococcal isolates resistant to vancomycin, accounting for 25% of the total, were not isolated in anal swabs at any time, with the oropharyngeal site being much more important. The rate of infection by Enterococcus spp. was 4.5% of all patients and 16% among the colonized patients. Conclusion: Especially in this population, colonization studies including more sites can yield a higher chance of positive results. Establishing the colonization profile in febrile neutropenic children following chemotherapy may help to institute an empirical antibiotic treatment aimed at antibiotic adequacy and lower induction of resistance, thereby decreasing the risk of an unfavorable clinical outcome.
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Editorial
Third Edition of the Central and Eastern European Meeting on Viral Hepatitis and Co-Infection with HIV
by Mojca Matičič
GERMS 2017, 7(2), 60; https://doi.org/10.18683/germs.2017.1109 - 1 Jun 2017
Abstract
The Central and Eastern European (CEE) Meeting on Viral Hepatitis and Co-infection with HIV is a two-day international conference that integrates keynote lectures and round table discussions with oral abstract and poster presentations [...] Full article
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